New research suggests that medium-sized birds of prey such as short-eared owls feasted on the frogs during a “short, intensive predation event” some 1,700 years ago

November 13, 2026 11:25 a.m.

An aerial view of the Bar Hill archaeological site, where excavations uncovered some 8,000 frog bones between 2016 and 2018 © MOLA Headland Infrastructure

Between 2016 and 2022, archaeologists conducting excavations along a planned stretch of England’s A14 highway unearthed an array of astonishing discoveries , including a Roman amulet carved to resemble the mythical Gorgon Medusa , the earliest physical evidence of beer production in Britain and an Iron Age comb crafted from a human skull.

Comprising more than 280,000 artifacts, the finds—uncovered between modern-day Cambridge and Huntingdon —shed light on life in the region over roughly 12,000 years.…